Chapter 6

The lights from the overhead bulbs cast long shadows across Camille's makeshift workshop. The hum of the Energy Core provided the only sound in the underground chamber as she worked faster than ever before.

Darius and his crew were coming.

She had no army, no allies, and no superhuman abilities.

All she had was her mind—and the system that had given her the blueprints to survive.

Her fingers moved swiftly over her scavenged materials, welding pieces together with makeshift tools. The stolen Energy Core pulsed beside her, a reminder of the danger she faced if Darius ever got his hands on it.

[Blueprint Unlocked: Automated Defense System]

[Components Needed: Scrap Metal (3), Power Source (1), Trigger Mechanism (1)]

 Good.

She had most of the materials, but she was missing a proper trigger mechanism.

Her mind raced. She needed something that could sense movement—something from old security tech or maybe even scavenged from abandoned drones.

Her eyes flicked to the pile of broken tech she had collected.

If she could modify an old proximity sensor…

Darius led the way through the ruined city, his boots crunching over shattered glass and debris. His fury burned hotter with every step.

Selene, still limping from the factory's collapse, moved beside him, her metallic claws clicking restlessly against her palms.

Amber-eyes, now sporting a burn mark from Camille's shock dagger, scanned their surroundings.

"She can't have gone far," he muttered, frustration in his tone.

Darius clenched his fists. "She's hiding. But she stole from us—and nobody steals from me."

Selene smirked. "I say we make an example out of her."

Darius didn't respond, but the look in his eyes was deadly.

They continued forward, following the subtle traces Camille had left behind—a displaced pile of rubble, footprints leading toward an old subway entrance.

Amber-eyes halted.

 "Here."

Darius's lips curled. "Let's pay her a visit."

Camille tightened the last bolt, her heart pounding as she stepped back to examine her work.

The Automated Defense System wasn't much—it was crude, improvised—but it would have to do.

She had managed to rig together an old drone's proximity sensor with a modified power surge module, turning it into a shock trap. 

The moment someone stepped too close, the trap would discharge a high-voltage pulse, strong enough to disable or slow an attacker.

It wasn't perfect.

But it gave her a fighting chance.

Just as she finished, her system flashed a warning.

[Hostiles Approaching]

Her stomach clenched.

Footsteps echoed down the tunnels.

Darius was here.

Camille killed the lights in her chamber and pressed her back against the wall, her breath steady.

The metal door rattled as someone tested it.

Then—a loud crash.

The door burst open as Darius's crew stormed inside.

The first thug stepped right into the trap.

A sharp, mechanical click—

Then—BOOM!

A surge of blue energy arced through the room, sending the first attacker flying backward, slamming against the wall with a strangled scream.

He collapsed, twitching.

Selene cursed. "It's a trap!"

Darius didn't flinch. "Find her."

Camille clenched her jaw. Time to move.

She darted through the side passage, her boots barely making a sound on the damp concrete floor.

Amber-eyes spotted her first. "There!"

Camille whipped around, hurling a makeshift smoke bomb.

A burst of thick gray fog filled the chamber, obscuring their vision.

She ran, weaving through the underground corridors, past collapsed tunnels and broken tracks.

Behind her, she heard Darius barking orders.

They were faster. Stronger.

But she knew the tunnels.

She reached a rusted ladder leading to another passageway—an old maintenance shaft.

She scrambled up, gripping the cold metal bars.

Just as she reached the top, a hand clamped around her ankle.

Her breath hitched.

Selene's claws dug into her boot. "Got you."

Camille kicked downward, slamming her heel into Selene's face.

The woman snarled, but her grip loosened just enough.

Camille yanked herself up and rolled onto the platform above.

She bolted through the corridor, her mind racing.

She couldn't just keep running.

She needed an edge—something to end this fight, once and for all.

Camille skidded to a stop inside an old generator room.

She could hear them approaching fast.

Her eyes scanned the room, searching for something—anything—she could use.

Then, she saw it.

An old emergency power grid, still partially intact.

A new blueprint flashed in her vision.

[Blueprint Unlocked: EMP Discharge Trap]

Perfect.

She worked fast, modifying the wiring, linking it to the Energy Core's power output.

Just as she finished, the door slammed open.

Darius stood in the doorway, his cold eyes locking onto her.

"You made this harder than it needed to be," he said, stepping forward. "Give me the Energy Core, and I might let you live."

Camille didn't answer.

Instead—she pressed the activation switch.

A loud BZZZZT! filled the room as a massive electromagnetic pulse erupted from the trap.

Darius and his crew barely had time to react before the shockwave hit them, sending a powerful surge through their bodies.

They collapsed.

Camille didn't wait to see if they were unconscious or just stunned.

She grabbed her pack and ran.

She had won this round.

But she knew this wasn't over.

Darius would come back stronger.

And next time… she'll be ready.